Spring Romance: NINE Happily Ever Afters

by Tessa Bailey

  “Me-e-e!”

  “I want to feel lucky!”

  “You’re hot!”

  He’s pointing at different women with an intense sexy expression, holding his hand to his heart like he felt the compliment deeply. Oh, he’s good, interacting with the audience.

  Oscar smiles, and the women let out a soft swoony sigh in near unison. His eyes sparkle as he takes them in. “I love you, ladies! You’re fantastic, every last one of you, here for such a good cause!” He flashes a naughty grin and starts to unbutton his shirt.

  Hooting and hollering erupts as he works his way down the buttons. Then with his shirt completely unbuttoned, he struts down the catwalk, the shirt playing peekaboo with defined pecs and rippling abs.

  The crowd goes berserk! My ears ring from the high-pitched screaming.

  Anna barks over the noise, “Let’s start the bidding! Can I hear one thousand?”

  Oh, yeah. The bidding goes fast—one thousand, three, five, seven.

  Oscar gets into it, lifting his arms and doing some hip gyrations that are sexy as fuck as he gazes into the eyes of whoever just bid the highest. The women are beside themselves. He knows how to work a crowd, that’s for sure. I can’t look away from the sexy display that’s somehow over-the-top and engaging at the same time. He’s inviting us in on the fun.

  Bidding tops out at twelve thousand. Holy crap. Do these ladies know this is in euros? That’s actually more than twelve thousand in US dollars. Maybe money isn’t an issue for them. Anna did say they were all successful in their careers.

  Another round of drinks circulates, the women chattering happily and laughing. I can’t fully enjoy the fun, thinking of Phillip up there soon, having women drooling over him, someone else winning a date with him. Jealousy is an ugly thing. I want to be above it.

  Next up is Lucas with his sexy beard. Not to be outdone by his younger brothers, Lucas appears on stage wearing a blazer over his dress shirt, which he promptly sheds, swings in a circle over his head, and tosses out to the crowd.

  A woman leaps out of her seat to grab it. “Five thousand!” she hollers, blazer clutched in hand.

  Wow. Anna hasn’t even started the bidding yet.

  Lucas gestures for the bidding to keep going, then makes a big show of unbuttoning his shirt, slowly undoing the top button. He stops, leans toward the crowd, and croons, “Should I keep going?”

  “Yeah!”

  “Take it all off!”

  “Strip, strip, strip!”

  Anna goes for it. “Do I hear six thousand?”

  “Six thousand!” someone immediately puts in.

  He slowly undoes the next button as more bids roll in. Then he struts down the catwalk, stopping a few times to give the grabbing hands of the women a squeeze. We’re all on our feet. I’m only standing because otherwise I couldn’t see a thing at my height. Okay, he’s insanely hot. Is it the beard? The sexy confidence? Who cares?

  “Only two princes left in need of a date,” Anna says. “Who will be the lucky lady?”

  Lucas returns to center stage, goes to the next button on his gaping shirt, and stops. “Want more?”

  “Yes!” the women holler.

  “Let’s hear twelve thousand,” he says with a grin.

  “Twelve thousand! Yes!” a woman hollers.

  He rips the shirt open, the buttons flying off. Sculpted tanned muscle from chest to abs. Whoa.

  The bids instantly go up, up, up. Faster and faster, insane levels!

  He closes the shirt and then flashes a pec. Someone screams like they’re a teen at a rock concert. The women are crazy to have him, hollering out bids and his name.

  He gestures for more bidding and, when he gets it, flashes his abs.

  He closes his shirt and blows us a kiss. Then his hands go to his belt buckle. The crowd gasps before a flurry of excited bidding. He’s trained them to bid and get a flash. He won’t really do it, though, will he? I can’t look away.

  Someone screams, “Twenty thousand!” And that crazy woman rushes the stage to claim her prize.

  The pack of women are hot on her heels, screaming more bids at Lucas as security closes in.

  He just stands there, grinning.

  Chapter Seven

  Phillip

  There’s a brief intermission after my show-off brother caused a riot. Lucas was immediately hauled backstage while the sixteen sloshed horny women were escorted back to their seats. Ruby remained in her seat, staying above the fray. Thank God she’s here. Gabriel stormed backstage too, as I predicted. He does not suffer fools, and Lucas took it too far. Anna has the women in the back of the room, where appetizers are waiting on a long table. She’s talking to them in a loud voice, but I can’t make out the words. I hope she’s telling them I won’t be stepping foot on stage if they can’t behave themselves.

  Lucas is unrepentant while Gabriel rips him a new one. It’s not the same as being chastised by our father. Gabriel is still the big brother, who protected him from harsher truths his whole life. In any case, I know Lucas did it to win the bet and, if I don’t top twenty thousand, he’ll win the pool. My brothers didn’t even bet a lot of money, just a couple of hundred euros. It’s the principle of the thing. Sibling rivalry lives on in the Rourke family, at least among the men. My sisters are quite proper since my mother kept them on a tight leash. My father indulged us boys (besides Gabriel the heir) for the most part, seeing himself in us as the younger brother. But when my mother put her foot down on our antics, my father would step in, and his stern dictates felt extra sharp after so much casual indulgence. All of us would straighten up fast when my father got serious.

  I doubt I’ll top Lucas’s bid. I won’t be doing a striptease. Whatever the highest bid is, I’ll give Anna the signal and have her top it by a small amount so Ruby can win me.

  Gabriel storms offstage, muttering about “mob mentality.”

  The volume increases as the women get comfortable again, the music blasting from the DJ, probably to keep the energy high.

  Adrian appears by my side. “Maybe show a little skin up there.” He’s still hoping to win the betting pool, and he bet on me.

  “Princes don’t strip for entertainment.”

  Adrian points at me. “You’re already entertainment as the royal hottie. Give them something to make them crazy to buy you.”

  I’m beginning to hate that royal hottie title. I’m more than that. “I’m not for sale at any price.”

  One side of his mouth curls up. “Today you are. It’s for a good cause, right? So give it your all. I have faith in you.”

  “You have a bet on me. There’s a difference.”

  “Semantics.”

  “Wimp,” Lucas says.

  “Let him lose,” Oscar says.

  “Could you at least do some hip thrusts?” Adrian asks. “I know you could win if you tried.”

  My little brother urging me to do hip thrusts. Bizarre. “No.”

  Anna appears backstage. “Okay, guys, Gabriel is not happy.” She takes in a deep breath. “To put it mildly. Lucas, I can’t believe you were going to take off your pants.”

  Lucas is matter-of-fact. “I wanted to get them excited and bid high. And I didn’t take them off. I merely hinted at it. It worked, didn’t it?”

  Anna gestures wildly. “I told you yesterday to keep it clean! If I wanted butt cheeks on display, I would’ve handed out G-strings!”

  My brothers chuckle.

  “There were no butt cheeks on display,” Lucas says solemnly.

  My brothers laugh out loud.

  Anna is not happy. She scowls. “Gabriel threatened to shut the whole thing down and kick my guests out of the palace if I can’t get them under control. Phillip still has to go on, and you know with his royal hottie rep he’s the headliner. We need him to have his turn.”

  I turn to her. “Don’t worry. Gabriel knows I’ll keep it clean. He was just blowing off steam.”

  My brothers agree.

  Anna smoot
hs her hair. “I suppose you’re right. I’ve just never seen him so angry. I had to talk him down before he yelled at our guests.”

  She’s still relatively new to Gabriel, a newlywed, and doesn’t fully grasp his warrior-like tendencies. “You know you married a relic, right?” I ask her.

  Her brows shoot up. “A relic? He’s only thirty.”

  “He’s a throwback to our Viking ancestors. He should’ve been a warrior king. Ask him; he’s always said that. You have to understand that’s who he is on the inside, and everything else, the royal protocol and customs, are something he abides by only by sheer strength of will.” I used to think duty was easy for him, until he recently spelled out exactly what it would be like if I took his place as king (in the case he abdicated to marry commoner Anna). My parents relented and allowed the marriage because Gabriel was groomed from the start to be king, none of us were as well prepared, and they understood love, having such a strong marriage themselves.

  Anna looks thoughtful. “You know, that actually explains a lot. A warrior king.” She goes up on tiptoe and kisses my cheek. “Thank you, Phillip. Knock ’em dead. Do whatever you want. I trust you.”

  I incline my head. “As you should. Could you direct security to stand closer to the catwalk?”

  “Absolutely.” She heads back through the curtains.

  “You’re seriously afraid of a small group of women?” Oscar asks.

  “They’re harmless,” Adrian assures me. “They just want to get to know us. We’re a novelty to them.”

  I cross my arms. “I’m not afraid. I just prefer not to be mauled. One of them already ripped the pocket right off my trousers for a souvenir. I wouldn’t put it past them to rip my shirt or yank out a lock of my hair.”

  “And he’s got such lovely locks too,” Lucas teases, ruffling my hair.

  I knock his hand away. “Piss off. If it weren’t for you showing off, we wouldn’t be dealing with a riot situation.”

  “Oh, please,” Lucas says. “It’s sixteen women.”

  “Seventeen. Ruby’s here.”

  Lucas smirks. “Aha. I see where you’re at.” He turns to Oscar and Adrian. “Did you hear how he said her name?”

  Adrian leans in. “Do you think she has the funds to win you?” He’s still zeroed in on his stake in the betting pool.

  I shrug one shoulder, not wanting to let on about my part in helping her win. “Maybe.”

  Adrian abruptly leaves. Now where is he going? He’s not going to sweet-talk Ruby, is he? The whole point of me being here was to keep Adrian at a distance from her.

  Anna’s voice carries through the microphone. “Everyone back to their seats! We’re about ready for the royal hottie—”

  She’s cut off by a high-pitched group scream and a mad scramble of high-heeled women to their seats. So much for calming everyone down; instead the brief intermission has built up the anticipation. The music lowers in volume, still a sexy thumping beat. I break out in a sweat and drag a hand through my hair. This feels too much like a performance, and I have never been a performer. One on one, hanging with friends at a party or a club, great. Going on stage, even in front of a small audience, no.

  I eye the exit, the muscles in my legs tense, ready for escape.

  No, it’s for a good cause. For Anna. For Villroy. For my insane jealousy.

  “Should we bring him out?” Anna hollers.

  “Yes!” the women scream.

  I suck in air, working on a calming deep breath.

  Anna lowers her voice. “Let’s let him know how much we want to see him. Royal hottie, royal hottie…”

  The women pick up the chant. I will hear it in my nightmares forever. They get louder and louder and louder.

  I wipe the sweat from my brow with my shirtsleeve.

  Anna has to yell at the top of her lungs to be heard over the chanting. “Here he is, the one, the only, the man of the hour, the royal hottie!”

  I can’t move.

  Someone gives me a shove. I turn and shove Lucas back. Oscar joins in, and they both push me forward. I shove them back with all my might, and we have a brief grappling match, two against one. I’m just furious enough to give them a fight. They release me suddenly, and the room goes quiet. Uh-oh.

  I glance over my shoulder. The curtains have been fully pulled back—our brief wrestling match exposed.

  “Come on out here, Phillip,” Anna says. “We won’t bite.”

  The women laugh.

  I step forward on wooden legs, and the curtain closes behind me. I’m sure I’m emanating more anger than sexy approachability, but it can’t be helped. I don’t appreciate my little brothers trying to push me around. I don’t care if they’re not actually little anymore. I’m the older one and deserve their respect.

  Anna signals for the music to lower. “Now, ladies, before we get to the bidding, I want to let you know what an honor it is for us to have Phillip here. He wasn’t sure at first about my idea, but I won him over to the dark side.”

  The women whoop and whistle.

  She smiles at me. I can’t even force a smile while standing on stage in front of a pack of man-hungry riotous women. She turns back to the audience. “He’s the total package, ladies. He loves women—”

  “We love you, Phillip!”

  “I love you!”

  “Love me!”

  Anna goes on. “And he’s very involved in charitable work to bring clean water to poor communities. Not just by being their spokesperson, he’s on the ground, going into villages, meeting tribal leaders, spending time with their people, helping to smooth the way. He’s generous, doing good just for its own sake. So let’s call him what he really is, a prince among men, a dream prince.”

  Crickets.

  And then a voice calls out, “Yes!”

  I zero in on Ruby sitting near the catwalk in the last row. She’s leaning into the aisle so I can see her beautiful face. “Thank you, Ruby!”

  She grins and gives me a thumbs-up.

  Anna gestures for me to walk down the catwalk. “Do I hear fifty?” Wow, that is a really low bid after Lucas’s crazy-high bids. Maybe she thinks the crowd has lost interest in the real me. I am a dream prince. And that is so much better than the objectifying title previously given to me.

  Ruby raises her hand. “One hundred.” She bid on me. My chest expands with pride. It’s more than she bid on Adrian, even though she’s broke. She wants me.

  “How about two hundred?” Anna asks.

  My eyes are only for Ruby as I walk down the catwalk in my buttoned shirt, leather trousers, and boots. Fully dressed dream prince here. It’s definitely easier to do the walk focused on her familiar blond hair that just brushes the shoulders of her bright pink V-neck sweater. Her eyes are sparkling, her face lit up with a smile just for me. I’m dimly aware of women hollering numbers around me. Thousands.

  Finally I reach her and drop to my haunches. “Thank you for the generous bid.”

  Her cheeks flush pink. “Uh, sure. I’m afraid I’m out of funds.”

  I lean down and whisper, “It’s the thought that counts.”

  We smile at each other, and warmth spreads through me, calming my nerves.

  I straighten and spread my arms wide to my adoring fans. “You rock, ladies! What a fantastic cause! How much can we help Anna with her good work?”

  Anna immediately jumps in with, “Do I hear ten thousand?”

  I turn and stride back down the catwalk, glad we’re nearly done. I catch Anna’s eye and cross my fingers at my side. She gets the message and holds up her cell phone. “I’ve got a bid here from an anonymous bidder. It’s eleven thousand.”

  “Eleven thousand one hundred,” a woman with sleek black hair counters.

  I keep my fingers crossed, which means keep going.

  “Eleven thousand two hundred from anonymous,” Anna says.

  “Twelve thousand,” the woman says.

  It keeps going from there, astonishingly high. I keep to my sign
al, even as the numbers get to teeth-clenching levels.

  “Fifty thousand,” Anna says.

  Silence.

  “Fifty thousand to the anonymous bidder!” Anna exclaims. “Woo! Good work, ladies! And thank you so much, Phillip!”

  I incline my head. I’ve just donated fifty thousand of my personal funds to the cause, but you know what? That’s fine. It’s an investment for Villroy. In fact, I’ll donate even more than that. And I got what I wanted—Ruby.

  “Okay, everyone, we’re going to clear the chairs and boogie!” Anna hollers.

  The music blasts, the spotlight on the stage turns off, and I go backstage. It’s empty. My brothers have already left to mingle. I head into the room to do my part to mingle, and my guards flank me. I scan the room for Ruby, and then she’s right there, heading toward me.

  “You made it without causing a riot,” she says, smiling up at me. “Great work.”

  I chuckle. “Thank you.”

  She gets serious. “So, uh, do you know who the bidder was who won a date with you?”

  I give her a slow secret smile. “Anonymous.”

  “You don’t know?”

  I lean down to her ear. “I bid through Anna. You won me.” I pull back to gauge her reaction. She looks stunned, her green eyes wide, her jaw slack. I tense. Shit. Maybe she doesn’t want to go on a date with me.

  I’m about to declare it would be completely platonic, no pressure, when she exclaims, “Phillip, you bid fifty thousand euros! This was supposed to be a fundraiser from outside sources.”

  I let out a quiet exhale, all of my muscles relaxing again. She was only worried about the money. “Villroy is my legacy. Of course I want to contribute.”

  She rubs the side of her neck and gives me a sideways look. “You must’ve really wanted to go on a date with me. You could’ve just asked, you know.”

  I lower my voice. “I was also trying to avoid the man-hungry crowd. These women are nutso wild.” And I needed to keep you away from Adrian, I silently add. I know he didn’t egg her on with the bidding. She stopped at a hundred. What was he doing?

  She laughs. “They’re fun. I think Anna let them have too much to drink before feeding them. Woo!” She gestures with her arms spread wide. “Inhibitions out the window!”